King (30th Anniversary Edition)

ザ・ブリーダーズの活動でも知られるタニヤ・ドネリーによるバンド、Bellyの名盤が30周年記念盤としてリリース。1993年のデビューアルバム『Star』でグラミー賞の最優秀新人賞を含む2つのノミネートを獲得し、大きな成功を収めた後にリリースされた本作は、ベーシストのGail Greenwoodを迎え、Tanyaと兄弟のChrisとTomとともに、ロードアイランドの田舎にある家を借りて制作が行われた。プロデューサーのGlyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who)からの指導を受け、リラックスした環境を最大限に活かしてライブ録音を行い、オーバーダブを最小限に抑えることでアーティスティックかつ複雑なアルバムとして仕上がった。歌詞はより政治的かつ個人的な内容になり、Gailの力強いベース、TanyaとTomのギターがヘヴィな音楽性を生み出し、リマスタリングはKevin Vanbergenが手がけている。

By developing a flair for tight, melodic hooks on Star, Tanya Donelly unexpectedly achieved the crossover success with Belly that eluded her with the Throwing Muses and the Breeders. Evidently inspired by such success and eager to prove that Belly was a full-fledged band, not just a solo project, Donelly and company made a bid for stardom with their second album, King. Veteran producer Glyn Johns gives the band an appealingly punchy sheen, and with the assistance of Tom Gorman and new bassist Gail Greenwood, Donelly cuts away her remaining arty preciousness, concentrating solely on big pop songs. While some fans will miss the occasional detour into spacy dream pop, Belly's makeover is quite convincing, and the cloaked stardom of "Super-Connected," the quirky hooks of "Now They'll Sleep," and the epic ballad "Judas My Heart" are neglected gems of post-alternative modern rock. Ironically, such shiny hooks didn't make Belly stars -- it lost them their original fan base, and by the time the record was released in 1995, modern rock radio was concentrating solely on harder guitar rock, so King was overlooked and the band broke up shortly afterward. The album and the group deserved a better fate. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine